


Merry Christmas, Stan Marsh

by DayDreamingIsMyHobby



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, It's just a sweet Christmas story, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28201506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayDreamingIsMyHobby/pseuds/DayDreamingIsMyHobby
Summary: Stan Marsh loves Christmas, it’s his favorite time of year. But when his life is turned upside down it’s looking like it will be the worst holiday season ever.Kyle has never celebrated Christmas, doesn’t know much about it. But he’s determined to give his best friend a Christmas he'll never forget.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Merry Christmas, Stan Marsh

Thick fluffy snowflakes had fallen from the sky all morning and covered the ground throughout the entirety of South Park.

The fresh fallen snow still hadn't been spoiled by crushingly heavy footsteps or dirty cars splashing mud and filth, or the mercilessness of an early riser with a shovel. So with no disturbances yet to the picturesque scene the snow cast a beauty around their small world and created the fantastical appearance of a winter wonderland.

This wasn’t anything unusual for their small mountain town but it felt like something extra special on that particular day.

It was the last day of school before winter break and the middle school hallways were buzzing with excitement. Christmas was only a few days out so there was little talk of anything else.

With all the conversations of Christmas lists, presents, shopping, sledding over the holiday break and who might get their first kiss under the mistletoe, there really wasn’t room for any other thoughts.

So despite the schools best attempts to keep classes going as normal and maintain their students focus, no one was paying any attention to their lessons.

Well almost no one.

Thirteen year old Kyle Broflovski was trying his best to keep this particular day as normal as possible. He enjoyed school and his classes and didn’t want or need any extra distractions. On top of that, he didn’t even celebrate Christmas so none of these celebrations or discussions meant much of anything to him.

Being one of the only Jewish kids in the entire town was already hard enough. But this particular time of year was always extra difficult. Kyle was ashamed to admit it to himself, but the heritage that he was so proud of made him feel a little left out during the Christmas season.

Kyle walked to his locker like he always did before lunch period to drop off some of his books, trying his best to ignore the obnoxious caroling coming from one of the classrooms and the general Christmas cheer that he just couldn’t understand or join in for.

Just when he thought he couldn’t get any more annoyed by his peers, his eyes fell upon his locker. He sighed when he saw a large sheet of paper with the words “Merry Christmas Jew Boy” in, his supposed friend, Cartman’s distinguishable, choppy handwriting. 

Upon a quick glance it would look like any other holiday greeting, just like the ones the hallways were littered with, but Kyle knew there was clear malice behind it and it very much fueled Kyle’s frustrated mood. Kyle tore it down and let it fall to the ground, pleased to see he had unintentionally tore it in the process. Kyle was ready to let such a silly little thing bother him for the rest of the afternoon, until he saw what stood in its place.

Behind the false Christmas card was hidden a small blue envelop taped to his locker. Kyle reached for it and opened it to find a Hanukkah card with a small message that said simply;

_Happy Belated Hanukkah, dude. Sorry I’m late this year. -Stan Marsh_

Kyle felt a burst of warmth in his chest for his life long best friend, unable to stop himself from smiling at Stan’s insistence on always putting his last name when signing cards. As if Kyle might not know who it was otherwise.

Kyle had been too busy to notice until then but he realized in that moment that Stan _was_ late. For years the consistently considerate boy always made sure to give Kyle a card and a gift for Hanukkah, wanting to make sure he didn’t feel left out of the holiday season festivities.

Stan even occasionally attended some of their traditions when Kyle’s mother allowed it. But this year he had seemingly forgotten. The last night of Hanukkah was four nights ago and this was the first Stan had mentioned it. 

Kyle tucked the card safely inside his locker along with his books before he started heading towards the cafeteria. Suddenly the sounds of Christmas music and the bright reds and greens that covered every inch of the school didn’t seem so bad to Kyle. It almost seemed cheerful now that his mood had lifted. Kyle liked to think he was just being more open minded but he couldn’t completely deny that it probably had something to do with the simple card sitting in his locker.

When he arrived at their usual table he saw that Stan was already there. Kyle grinned widely and quickened his pace, wanting to thank his best friend for thinking of him but he slowed his steps when he took in Stan’s demeanor.

Stan’s shoulders were slumped, his elbow set on the table with his chin resting in his palm. His signature poof ball had sat askew on his thick dark hair, looking almost as deflated as its owner. Even though the cafeteria was serving Stan’s favorite lunch that day he merely picked at it, spending more time poking it with his fork than actually eating it.

Kyle sat down across from him as he looked him over. This was unusual. Today was Stan’s favorite day of the school year, even more so than the last day of school. Stan loved Christmas more than anyone Kyle knew. Stan loved the holidays so much he was the only kid in school who still gave all his teachers Christmas presents. Last year he had put together a group to sing Christmas carols at lunch. And the year before that he had even helped put on a small Christmas production that everyone thought was so good it ended being performed for the town at the community center on Christmas Eve. But this didn’t look like that same boy. This boy looked miserable.

“Hey Stan.” Kyle said softly, as if he was afraid Stan might be frightened if he spoke louder.

Stan glanced up suddenly at the sound of his voice. Confusion apparent on his face, looking like he hadn’t even noticed Kyle sitting down. “Oh hey.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” Stan nodded, his tone unconvincing as he tried to take a small bite of his food.

“You don’t look alright.” Kyle pried slightly. “What’s going on?”

Stan paused for a long moment, as if he was contemplating whether or not to tell the truth. Finally his eyes lowered to his barely touched tray of food as he spoke, “My parents are getting a divorce. I guess I should have seen this coming but I thought they would at least wait until after Christmas.”

Kyle wasn’t at all surprised by this, he had known about the Marsh’s family problems for a long time but it still stung to see his best friend so upset. “They told you this now? Only a couple days before Christmas?”

“They told us a week ago but I didn’t want to bother you while you were trying to enjoy Hanukkah.” Stan sniffed slightly and tried to subtly rub his nose with his sleeve, the action ripping a hole in Kyle’s heart. “Now I just wish they had done it sooner. I don’t even think I’m getting a Christmas this year. We never got a tree. We haven’t done any of our traditions. My Mom didn’t even ask me what I wanted this year. And I know that sounds really selfish when there are so many other problems in the world but… I don’t know. I just thought my parents would put aside their problems for once and think of me.”

Kyle felt a burst of anger towards Stan’s parents at that. Stan was absolutely right. How dare his parents only care about their own problems and completely forget about their son? Kyle was not okay with this and with a new resolve decided that he was going to personally fix this injustice. He had no idea how, but he was going to.

“You should sleepover this weekend.” Kyle said suddenly, causing Stan to look up at him. “We don’t have a tree or anything but it has to be a better atmosphere than whatever is happening at home.”

For the first time that lunch period, a small smile appeared on Stan’s features and he nodded almost eagerly, “Yeah that would be great if you don’t mind. All my parents are doing is fighting.”

“Of course I don’t mind. Come over tonight and you can stay over all day tomorrow.”

“You’re the best, dude.” Stan looked at him gratefully, his appetite seemingly returning as he dug into his previously untouched lunch with new enthusiasm.

Kyle smiled widely at that and tried to hide his overly pleased response to the compliment behind a bite of his lunch.

Kyle didn’t consider himself all that special, but he thought his best friend was and that was why he was more determined than ever to give Stan the simple thing he wanted.

***

Stan was not going to miss out on Christmas. Not on Kyle’s watch. The gears in Kyle’s brain had been turning since lunch, a plan beginning to form and grow. 

Stan was one of the sweetest people Kyle knew and all he wanted was to be able to enjoy his favorite holiday, so that’s exactly what Kyle was going to give him.

He didn’t know much about Christmas besides the basics but if there was one thing that Kyle was very good at it was research. So for the first time ever, Kyle was no longer paying attention to his teachers or his lessons in lieu of paying more attention to Christmas plans and holiday thoughts.

He dedicated the entire school day to Christmas research. The decorations, the foods, the traditions, everything. Learning as much as he could so he would be able to make it as perfect as possible for Stan.

He realized far too quickly that he could be as knowledgable as he wanted to be about Christmas but that did little good to actually creating a Christmas. So when he wasn’t researching, he was texting his friends to see who would be willing to donate some decor and other much needed holiday items so he could bring his plan to life.

For the first time ever Kyle was filled with the spirit of the season when he saw just how many people were willing to help him out, just so Stan Marsh could forget about his family problems and have one night where he could celebrate and enjoy himself.

Kyle rushed home after school and got right to work on his plan. His door bell rang non-stop for an hour, each time he found someone from school standing in the doorway bringing him something he wouldn’t have known twelve hours prior that he would need.

Clyde brought an old fake Christmas tree his family didn’t use anymore, Tweek brought Christmas treats, snacks and enough hot chocolate to last them a year, Wendy brought decorations, Bebe brought greenery and Kyle couldn’t stop the blush that appeared on his face when he noticed a mistletoe thrown into the mix. When he tried to return it to her, she simply winked and rushed off, leaving Kyle standing in his doorway with the notorious kissing plant still hanging limp in his hand.

Dozens of more items arrived from other kids at the school, more things than Kyle or Stan could possibly need and Kyle was beyond grateful for all of it.

He worked for ages getting everything together, looking up pictures for reference so he got it all just right. Kyle was aware he was probably putting in too much effort and he knew Stan probably wouldn't care if everything was perfect, but Kyle did. Stan deserved it.

Kyle’s mother tried to take his temperature, fearing he might have a fever because of how odd he was acting, but let it go when he simply stated that it was for Stan. Sheila knew not to question Kyle when it came to things involving Stan Marsh and so she left him alone to continue his sudden burst of Christmas spirit.

Just a few short hours later, Kyle gazed around his livingroom and was thrilled to find that all his hard work appeared to have paid off. Everything looked so festive and wonderful and Kyle hoped, with a bit of butterflies dancing in his stomach, that Stan would think so too.

There was only one more thing Kyle wanted to do to make the night perfect but with a sudden panic he looked at the clock and realized it was far too late to do it himself. He quickly called Kenny and practically pleaded for a favor. He should have known the dramatics were unnecessary, Kenny was always more than willing to help and this was certainly no exception.

As a final touch, Kyle was just putting a fireplace video on the TV and turning up the Christmas music when he heard a soft knock at his door.

Kyle felt is heart beat a little faster with anxious excitement, his stomach turning just slightly with nerves. He gave the living room one last look over before heading towards the door, hoping beyond hope that Stan would be pleased.

“Hey dude.” Kyle greeted him with a smile when he opened the door.

Stan did his best to smile back but the sadness was still etched on his face. Fortunately the melancholy look didn’t last long. As soon as the familiar sound of Christmas music hit his ears Stan’s face went from sad, to confused, to joyous.

“Is that…”

“Yeah.” Kyle interrupted, “Uh. Come inside. I have a surprise for you.” Kyle grabbed Stan’s wrist and pulled him along towards the living room.

When Stan turned the corner he was instantly rendered speechless. It was a sight he certainly hadn’t been expecting. He was surrounded by all the things that screamed ‘Christmas’ to him and he felt as if Christmas itself had wrapped him up in a warm hug.

“Dude.” Stan whispered as he walked into the center of the room, trying to look at everything all at once.

Greenery surrounded the room with cheerful twinkling lights within them, reds and blues and greens covered the area, and fake snow lined window sills. A small but pleasant looking tree sat in the corner and all of Stan’s favorite Christmas cookies and treats were spread across the coffee table.

It was everything Stan had wanted his own home to look like this year instead of the empty walls and the festivelessness that encompassed the house. 

“This is incredible.” Stan finally turned towards Kyle. He had never felt so touched by someone’s kindness in his life and the emotion came through in his voice. “Did you do this for me?”

“Course, dude.” Kyle grinned, thrilled that Stan looked so happy. “It would be a crime not to let you enjoy Christmas.”

“I don’t even know what to say. You went through all this trouble and I….” Stan cleared his throat a little, fearing he might get choked up. “Just thanks, dude. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it.” Kyle felt lighter than air as he reached behind the couch to pull out the box of Christmas tree decorations Clyde had dropped off along with the tree. “I thought maybe we could decorate it together? And I already have your favorite Christmas movies qued up. And if there are any other traditions you want to do, we can do them. I want to do them all with you.”

Stan moved forward and wrapped his arms around his best friend, the action helping to cover the tears that had come to his eyes. “And all I got you was a stupid Hanukkah card this year.”

“Dude, last year you got me a present for each night of Hanukkah. I’m pretty sure I still owe you for that.” Kyle hugged him back with one arm, melting into Stan’s touch.

Stan pulled back after a minute and snatched the box of Christmas tree decorations from Kyle’s hand. “I get to put the star on top of the tree.”

“Why does a star go at the top of the tree anyways?” Kyle laughed.

“I don’t know. Something about Jesus I think.” Stan shrugged as he started placing colorful bulbs onto the branches, feeling happy and in the Christmas spirit for the first time the entire month.

Kyle burst into laughter again as he started to help Stan put up ornaments. It felt like a strange tradition when he first looked into it, but now that he was doing it with Stan, while listening to cheerful music and watching the snow continue to fall lightly outside, he felt like it was something he wanted to do every single year.

The evening was going better than Kyle had planned and he was enjoying it far more than he expected to. A couple hours into the Christmas themed sleepover, both were completely stuff full of Christmas cookies and hot chocolate and had gotten through just about every tradition Stan wanted to do.

Kyle was just about to ask Stan what he wanted to do next when Kyle heard the doorbell ring. Knowing who it likely was, Kyle made Stan stay where he was before heading to the door.

Kyle was relieved and ecstatic when he saw Kenny standing on the other side of the door with a sloppily wrapped gift in his arms. The evening had truly been perfect so far but Kyle had been counting on this one last thing to really make the night unforgettable.

“You get my venmo payment? Kyle whispered, taking the gift from him.

“Mhm.” Kenny nodded. “That was a lot of money for a Christmas gift.”

“Yeah but it’s for Stan and his parents forgot about him this year. That’s what best friends do.”

“Ah yes _best friends._ Totally.” Kenny smirked softly at him. He gestured at the present with a nod of his head. “Sorry I’m shitty at gift wrapping. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas date night.”

Kyle felt his cheeks heat up lightly at the way Kenny said ‘best friends’ and he adamantly shook his head at him, “It’s not a date night. We’re just hanging out.”

“So can I come in and hang out too?” Kenny asked, a daring tone in his voice.

“No!” Kyle said too quickly. “But just because… Well this is our thing.”

“Just like I thought.” Kenny chuckled and stuck his hands in the pockets of his parka. “Enjoy date night, dude.”

Before Kyle could try to argue again, Kenny was already walking away. Kyle was almost tempted to call out to him just to be able to get the last word on the matter but didn’t want Stan to hear in the other room. Instead he clung the gift to his chest and made his way back to the living room.

“Who was that?” Stan glanced up, his jaw dropping open just slightly when he saw the large gift wrapped package in Kyle’s arms. “And what is that?”

“That was Kenny, he was just dropping this off for me.” Kyle responded as he took the seat next to Stan on the couch. “It’s your Christmas present.” Kyle said softly, almost embarrassed about it despite being really proud and excited to give it to him.

“Oh dude. You didn’t need to get me anything.” But even as he said it, Stan reached his hands out for the gift.

“I wanted to.” Kyle insisted as he handed it over. “Go ahead and open it.”

Stan grinned as he ripped open the wrapper to get to the surprise inside, his curiosity at its peak. When the paper fell away, Stan was beyond surprised. Sitting in his lap was a brand new guitar. One he had had his eye on since the summer.

“Dude.” Stan breathed as he ran his fingers down the neck of the guitar, just barely grazing along the strings.

Stan had never had a new guitar before, having always gotten hand me downs from his Dad. And as he looked over the instrument that had never been played by anyone else, he decided it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The fresh paint gleamed and shined enough that he could almost see his awed reaction in the shiny surface. He let his finger dip down and pluck at the strings. He found it didn’t even need to be tuned, it was already perfect.

“I saw you looking at it every single time we walked by the music shop so I wanted to get it for you. That shitty guitar of yours is on its last string. You deserve something better. You’re too good not to have something decent to practice on.” Kyle said almost shyly, a pleased smile coming to his face when he saw how in awe Stan appeared as he looked over his new guitar.

“It’s perfect.” Stan breathed but he snapped himself back to reality and looked at Kyle with a guilty gaze. He half heartedly tried to hand it back to him, “But it’s way too much, dude. You shouldn’t have spent that much on me. You have to take it back.”

“No way. I’m not taking it back. It’s a gift. Please keep it. I was really excited to give it to you.” Kyle gently pushed it back into Stan’s arms. Their fingers grazed each others for just a moment, an action that normally felt like nothing but somehow made both of them lose their breathe.

The two stared at each other for a long moment, the crackling sound from the fireplace video the only thing muffling the sounds of their pounding heart beats. After what felt like an eternity despite only being a few seconds, Stan finally broke from their longing look to gaze down at his guitar. He positioned it properly in his arms and started strumming softly. An action out of nervous habit more than anything.

“Play something.” Kyle said softly, almost pleadingly.

“What should I play?”

“Anything.” Kyle’s voice came out almost too quiet, and he was too preoccupied thinking about how badly he wanted Stan to look at him that way again to come up with a proper suggestion. “A Christmas song?”

“Only if you sing with me.” Stan glanced back up at Kyle, the soft smile on his lips making Kyle feel weak at the knees.

“No way. I haven’t sung in forever.”

“You use to sing with me all the time. Come on, please?”

Kyle was about ready to say yes to anything Stan asked of him in that moment, so his head began nodding yes before his lips could say otherwise. Stan’s smile grew and he kept his blue eyes locked in on Kyle’s green ones as he began playing a familiar melody.

Kyle’s heart continued to rhythmically drum in his chest and a smile formed on his face when Stan began singing the first verse of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. It was a simple song, sweet and one they had sung together years prior. Even though it had been a long time, Kyle still remembered it well and looked back on it fondly.

Kyle was almost lost in the sound of Stan’s soothing singing voice and nearly forgot to jump in but he finally did, trying his best to remember the harmony part. He was most definitely out of practice and he had never been as good of a singer as Stan was but he was surprised to find he fell back into their usual parts as if they had never stopped singing together.

It felt natural and good and Kyle’s heart swelled as he watched Stan looking back at him with a warm fondness and joy in his eyes as they sang together.

Stan only tore his focus away from Kyle’s when he played the last few notes, the sound of the strings echoing across the room as they lapsed into silence for a few brief seconds.

“The guitar sounds good.” Kyle finally spoke, clearing his throat self consciously.

“Yeah but I think we made it sound even better.” Stan grinned at him. “Thanks, Kyle. This whole night has been more than perfect. You really are the best friend I guy could ask for. I’m lucky.”

“You deserve it, Stan. If anyone deserves a perfect Christmas it’s you.”

Kyle’s face flushed slightly when Stan leaned in to give him a tight hug, and it grew redder when the hug lasted far longer than it normally did. Kyle would have been happy to stay in that position for the rest of the night but felt a flicker of disappointment when Stan pulled back slowly from the embrace and carried the guitar over to where he had placed his backpack.

Kyle felt almost lost when his best friend’s arms had left him but the reaction didn’t last long. Kyle’s breath caught in his throat when he noticed that Stan had unintentionally placed his backpack beneath a very specific decoration.

Kyle nearly groaned in embarrassment as he looked up at the mistletoe. Feeling like it was taunting him as it cheerfully gazed back down at him.

He suddenly very much regretted putting it up but he didn’t know what else to do with it. At least that’s what he told himself. He remembered how he had put it in a corner, thinking it would go unnoticed while secretly hoping it wouldn’t. It was a ridiculous notion that he silently scolded himself for at the time. But now as he looked back at the evidence of his foolish daydream, all he wanted to do was curl up and die from embarrassment.

Even as Kyle had these panicked, humiliated thoughts he couldn’t ignore the small hopeful feeling in his chest. That flicker of warmth and that aggressive heart beat that wanted so badly for Stan to notice it.

“So.” Kyle said in a strained voice that didn’t sound like his own. “Did we do all the traditions?”

Almost as if the mistletoe had been whispering to Stan, trying to get his attention, Kyle watched in horror as Stan slowly tilted his head up, catching sight of the unmistakable green plant tied together with a red ribbon.

Stan’s face turned a deep shade of crimson and he released an awkward laugh as he brought his hand to the back of his neck. He avoided Kyle’s eyes as rubbed at the back of his neck in his usual charmingly nervous habit.

“I guess we missed one.”

“We don’t have to do it.” Kyle rushed out, his face almost the same color as his hair at this point. “It’s a silly tradition. I don’t even know why I put it up. Bebe brought it over and I didn’t know what else to do with it.” Kyle frantically made his way over and tried to reach up to take it down but was stopped when Stan grabbed hold of his wrist and gently pulled it away.

Kyle was surprised by the action but didn’t fight Stan, instead looking back at his best friend with anticipation.

“Well… it _is_ a Christmas tradition and you said we were going to do all of the Christmas traditions.” Stan said carefully, a brief flash of nerves crossing his features.

“Yeah.” Kyle breathed, his heart pounding in his ears. “I guess I did.”

Stan and Kyle stared at each other once again, that strange tension returning to the air and surrounding them. Kyle only realized then that Stan still hadn’t let go of his wrist and they were standing close together… Very close together.

Neither boy knew what to do even though they both knew what they wanted. It was as if time stood still and they were the only two people in the world as they continued to look at each other with longing and subtle fear. Kyle had denied it for as long as he could remember, but he had been waiting for a moment like this. He had desperately ached for Stan to look at him this way and he feared that if he waited a second longer that he would miss his chance forever.

Kyle swallowed down the nerves that had tried to trap him and he leaned in first.

Kyle let their lips barely brush against each other, not wanting to overwhelm Stan and cause him to pull away before Kyle could even enjoy the kiss. But even that subtle touch of their lips felt like the kiss Kyle had been waiting for for longer than he even knew.

Kyle didn’t want the kiss to end but knew that a mistletoe kiss shared between friends could only last for so long before it became weird. He had only started to reluctantly pull back when he felt Stan’s hand on his cheek, gently pulling him back to his lips.

Neither were very experienced kissers but it was tender and sweet, their lips parting just enough to introduce each other to the sensation of their tongues in the other’s mouthes.

Kyle was far too thrilled that Stan had chosen to continue the kiss to be too self conscious of his own technique. And he was far too enamored to be an accurate judge of Stan’s performance. But none of that matter. It was perfect, this moment was perfect and Kyle had never been happier in his life.

Kissing Stan felt as natural and as wonderful as singing with him had been only it was so much better. Kyle knew in that moment that this wouldn’t be the last time, that it couldn’t be. He wanted to spend the rest of his life being able to kiss Stan whenever he wanted as much as he wanted.

When they finally broke from the tender kiss Stan kept his hand on Kyle’s cheek. He leaned forward enough to press their foreheads together as a smile grew on his features. Stan spoke softly then, their faces so close, his warm breath could be felt against Kyle’s lips.

" _Now_ this has been the most perfect Christmas ever.”

Kyle felt a burst of joy in his heart and that warmth spread across his entire body as he leaned in once more to kiss his best friend.

“Merry Christmas, Stan.”

“Merry Christmas, Kyle.”

The two boys stood together for a long time under that mistletoe while Christmas lights twinkled around them and the soft snow continued fall and coat the ground of their little mountain town.

To anyone else it might have been just like any other December night in South Park, but for Stan and Kyle it was something special. A Christmas memory was created that night that both boys would cherish all the year long and for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year to each and every one of you!


End file.
